For example, as described in Patent Literature 1, such a panorama combining technology has been known that generates a single panoramic image from a plurality of captured images.
A variety of panorama combining technologies are possible depending on each element including an image shooting technique (such as horizontal sweep image shooting, horizontal and vertical free swing image shooting, and multi-row image shooting), an optical system (such as a wide-angle lens and a fish-eye lens) and a combination algorithm, and make it possible to shoot whole circumference images encompassing a 360-degree scene that surrounds a user (photographer) and omnidirectional panoramic images including even a scene right above or below a user (photographer).
Such panoramic images are generally recorded as images projected to cylindrical surfaces, spherical surfaces or the like, and can be reproduced in reproduction modes of cameras or by image viewers or the like in personal computers (PCs).
Panoramic images projected to cylindrical surfaces or spherical surfaces can be further re-projected to and displayed on virtual plane screens, thereby offering a strong sense of presence and immersion to users (e.g. QuickTime VR?An Image-Based Approach to Virtual Environment Navigation [Apple Computer, Inc.]).
Since those panorama combining technologies characteristically combine a plurality of images shot from different positions, it is difficult to generate panoramic moving images. As a technique of creating a panoramic moving image, a technique of using a specialized optical system such as a quadratic curve mirror capable of shooting an image of the whole circumference at a single exposure has been gaining widespread use. However, the technique enlarges the whole circumference image formed on an image sensor to create a panoramic image, unfortunately degrading the resolution considerably.
Such techniques have also been known that make a plurality of cameras concurrently capture images and use a dedicated camera device such as a multi-eye camera, but it is too difficult for general users to casually use the techniques.
Furthermore, there is certainly a technology of automatically shoot an image with a pan tilter and a telephoto lens or the like to generate a super high resolution panoramic image having some gigapixels (billion pixels), but a specialized device, the pan tilter, is required and it takes a very long time to shoot images and combine the shot images. Moreover, the generated panoramic image has an enormous data size, so that it is not also easy for general users to casually use the technique.
Moving images and high resolution are important elements to have panoramic images offer a strengthened sense of presence and immersion, but as described above, it is difficult for general users to incorporate those elements under the circumstances.
Additionally, Patent Literature 2 discloses a technology of jointing pieces of recorded data having similar positional data to present a panoramic scene to a user.